Protomen rewritten v 1 complete
by Chuko Liang
Summary: Version 1 finished. Version 2 work will begin after my vacation.
1. Chapter 1

Preface:

The world was a depressing place. The wars raged back and forth, costing countless lives. That was when Doctor Albert Wily entered the scene. He was an up-and-coming scientist in the field of robotics, and he offered to create the US military's new force: An unstoppable robot army, led by six generals, who would together topple any force that stood against them. His asking price was barely above the base cost of the army itself; the man took almost no money for himself. It seemed too good to be true. Later, the former president who made the decision remarked that it was foolish to trust a man named Wily.

The six generals led an army that proved unstoppable. Men fell in droves as the United States, formerly the champions of freedom, conquered and enslaved the rest of the world. Cut man, Guts man, Fire man, Ice man, Bomb man, and Elec man. These six, along with a new type of soldier designated the "Sniper JOE", as well as their medics, termed "Met Hats" conquered entire continents. First the Middle East fell. Then, using the oil fields in the area to fuel their conquest, the robots turned north and east, felling Russia, China, Japan, and India, as well as all the smaller countries in the area, in one march.

There was hardly a fight after that. Europe surrendered peacefully, except for the French and Germans, who were immediately crushed. Africa was annexed, Australia was conquered, while Central and South Americas were the last to fall, after uniting together and launching an assault on the US home soil. But even they lost in the end.

After this conquest, there was a period of ten years of peace. Of course, there were resurrections, but as all humanity was slowly forced into cities while robots slowly took over production of food, these insurrections were quickly crushed. And then, when all humanity was confined to massive urban centers, Wily struck. He activated programming nobody had thought to check for in his robot armies, and they took over. Because the most advanced military in the world, the US military, had disbanded in favor of the robot armies, none was left to defend mankind. Those who resisted were slaughtered wholesale.

Hope Rides Alone:

Twelve years passed…

Nobody was left who could remember how it had happened. How the world had fallen under darkness, at least no one who would do anything. No man would oppose the robots, no man would challenge their power. Or so Doctor Wily believed…

In a dark, run-down apartment, twenty floors above New York City's dark streets, a man named Doctor Thomas Light, whose own robotic projects had been shunned in favor of Wily's because his were "too expensive", worked feverishly and quietly on a new project. He was putting the finishing touches on a device designed to bring about a change, a machine to bring freedom. Light had created a man to save the world. And after twelve years of labor, his hard work was finally coming to fruition. The eccentric and brilliant loner had finally finished his work.

"I am finished! Finally!" He activated the machine, and disabled the off switch. Running on solar power, as all the new models were, this machine could potentially continue its existence forever. Alas, this was not his fate. "Can you hear me? Do you understand my words?"

"Yes, father." The machine had spoken in a vaguely human voice. It stood seven feet tall, made of an extremely resilient alloy that was bulletproof, carrying a shield made of a rare metal that was indestructible, with a blaster cannon that was hidden in its right arm, and an energy blade in its left. Painted red and grey, the machine was unstoppable. It was perfect. It was unbeatable. None could defeat it. Not even the six generals. As the finishing touch, Doctor Light added a helmet made of the same material as the shield, a pair of sunglasses, and a yellow scarf.

"Father, what is my designation?"

"You will be named Proto Man, for you are the prototype."

"Understood. What is my purpose?"

"You are a warrior, designed to save the world from the evil Doctor Wily's machines." Light turned off the safety programming and turned on the emotion drive. "There, how do you feel?"

"I feel…wonderful! But I must save humanity!"

"Yes, go forth, my son! Go forth and liberate us all!"

Protoman left the apartment complex. He dashed for the fortress Doctor Wily resided in. Every robot that tried to stop him was cut down. People started taking notice of him. He stopped for nothing, making a mad dash for the stronghold. With the entire city following him, Protoman charged. He stopped in front of the gates. With a mighty punch, he knocked the gate over. Here the people stopped, uncertain. But Protoman did not hesitate. He blasted the sentries on the walls and walked calmly toward the front door. From inside came a large robot, 9 feet tall and covered in grenades. This was Bomb Man. Bomb Man tried to stop Proto Man.

"Halt! Leave and you will be spared!"

"You foolish tyrant! It is YOU who will fall! Now get out of my way or die!"

"As you wish. I tried to warn you." Bomb Man lobbed a grenade at Protoman. But Proto Man was too quick. He rushed Bomb Man and leapt towards him, landing on his chest. Bomb Man did not fall. But that was not Protoman's intent. Instead, he fired a charged blast directly into Bomb Man's chest, from which he generated grenades, and leapt off just before the robot master detonated. The next Robot Master to arrive was Fire Man. Fire Man wielded a built-in flamethrower, and gave forth a battle cry that terrified the people watching. But Protoman was not phased. He fired a charged shot at fire man, missed, then rushed the master who had stepped out of the fortress. His enemy tried to fry him with a blast of flame, but Protoman was immune to fire, and quickly dispatched his opponent with a single blow to the face. Protoman stopped to rest briefly before continuing, but while he rested Ice Man and Cut Man arrived. Cut Man was a highly skilled beamswordsman who dual wielded yellow blades, and Ice Man had the ability to generate extreme cold. Ice Man fell rapidly because Protoman recognized he could not fight with his feet frozen to the ground, and thus focused on him. Then, when Ice Man had fallen, Protoman charged cut man. He used the blade in his left arm to push Cut Man's blade away and then blasted the Robot Master in the face with a fully charged blast. Cut Man's body fell to the ground and hit with a dull thud. Next to arrive was Guts Man, a massive behemoth that stood 12 feet tall and was easily the strongest machine Wily had ever created. But Protoman was equally strong. Guts Man was enraged at the deaths of his brethren and proceeded to attempt to rend Protoman asunder. However, as he was rushing the red robot, the evil machine was surprised to find that his opponent had disappeared in a cloud of dust. Protoman had fired at the ground, generating massive amounts of dust which interfered with Guts Man's robotic eyes. Guts Man was even more surprised to find a laser blade was sticking through his torso, and then he, too, fell to Proto Man. However, the last general and the last to arrive, Elec Man, was different. Elec Man, by far the most intelligent and fastest robot master, was the toughest opponent yet. He was human in shape, as they all were, and was painted mostly black, but some parts, like the goggles he wore, were yellow. Elec Man sent out a blast of electricity, stunning Protoman where he was, and then rushed forward, pummeling the hapless creation of Light until he was able to react, and react he did. Protoman, realizing he could never hope to defeat Elec Man in a drawn out battle, decided his course of action quickly. He took advantage of Elec Man's close proximity and took a grenade that he'd stolen from Bomb Man before his death and shoved it down Elec Man's throat. He quickly ran away, but he was not fast enough. As the robot master exploded, Protoman was caught in a burst of electricity that left him heavily wounded and drained much of his energy.

And that was when the reinforcements arrived. One thousand sniper JOEs. Protoman was wounded, low on energy, and struggling to remain standing as Wily ordered the final attack.

Protoman fell that day, in front of the mass of humanity that did nothing to save him. Not one man raised a finger to aid him. Not one man tried to help him. They looked on as he battled in vain, and watched as the sniper JOEs ripped him apart, piece by piece. And then, after the robots had carried away his broken body, they carried back into the city a few remnants. The shield, lovingly crafted, now scorched. The helmet, battle scarred and cracked in places. The sunglasses, which had somehow survived. And the scarf, which was shredded by bullets.

They made a small monument to Protoman in a hidden place in the city, where Doctor Wily could not take it down. From the loudspeakers across the city came propaganda: "We keep you safe. Patrols in this area will be increased. You are safe, but please report any suspicious activity to the nearest automated unit. Protoman is evil." Doctor Light was heartbroken.

Funeral for a Son:

After the crowd had left, Doctor Light went to the grave of his son. As he heard the crowd break apart, all leaving to their homes, or the streets they called home, to their slavery, he noticed a tear streaming down his face and felt a weight in his chest. What was it? Anger? Frustration? Agony? These are there too. But no, this was more than that. More than these basic emotions. Those emotions were his life. He had lived with them for so long that he could barely feel them. He had learned to fight them, ignore them, and finally channel them into _his_ work, _his_ machine, _his_ sonAnd then, when he'd died, they'd all come flooding back. The terror he'd felt when the world had fallen. The anger he'd had towards himself for letting it happen. The hatred of the fools in Washington who had laughed at his modest price range for the project. The agony of watching his only biological son be killed by Wily's robots, trying to protect his mother, Light's wife, who had then been killed as well. The loathing of himself for failing to protect them both.

So that was it. He'd projected his son onto Protoman. That was where the personality had come from. He walked into his lab, ripping tools from the walls and flinging them about. Picking up a chair with ease, he launched it across the large room. This hidden building was all he had left, and he wanted to destroy it. And then, something changed. Something subtle. He felt the anger turn to something…else. He started to build, to lash together what materials he had saved, to make the chassis, the body, once again. The familiar face, his own face, sculpted to mirror how he had looked when he was in his early twenties. The blaster, this time even more powerful, with an even higher capacity. The hands, sculpted to be powerful and yet careful, with advanced pressure sensors that would allow it to crush a stone or grasp a fragile glass, without breaking it. Light worked on, far into the night, constantly, obsessively, like a man possessed. And in a way, he was. He was possessed by the rage that had finally unleashed itself. The pent up anger and hatred and everything else was being poured into something he could finally direct a real emotion towards That emotion was Pride. He was making something he could be proud of, another son, a better son, a stronger son, a smarter son. But this time, he would not make the same mistake. The fools who had slain his last son would not have the benefit of the service of this one. The blaster was for his own self defense. The helmet was for his own protection. The armor was to protect him, not aid him in slaughtering machines. Light watched as his hands created something truly amazing. Something that no man had ever seen before…

As Light worked, the robot armies carried Protoman's broken, lifeless body to their leader. In his fortress, Doctor Wily watched. He observed how the machine was made. He realized it was far beyond his design, far beyond anything he could create. Not by himself. So Doctor Wily decided that instead of rebuilding his lost generals, he would have a new king of war. A new machine to suppress rebellion, to strike terror in the hearts of the people. And how ironic that it would be their hero doing so. But no, he wouldn't make it obvious, he would change the appearance.

Twelve hours later, as Wily finished his work, he stepped back to survey it. He had successfully repaired Protoman but could not reprogram him, and so deactivated his weapons and strapped him down. With a plethora of his minions around him, all poised to strike at the wave of a hand, Wily activated Protoman. The machine's eyes lit up, and as soon as he saw Wily he spoke.

"So I've been captured by the one I set out to destroy…"

"Actually, I invited you here. What is your designation?"

"…I am called Protoman."

"A prototype. Interesting." Wily stroked his hairless chin. Wily never could grow a beard. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No."

"Because I rebuilt you, carefully, piece by piece."

"Only my father would show that level of devotion. You lie."

"No, I do not lie. Look around you. I am sorry for the restraints, but I worry that you would try to harm me. But if you wish it, I can free you."

"What is the catch?"

"There's no catch. You can go back to the people who would never have helped you, who don't _deserve_ a man like you to aid them, those cowards who would never stand and fight, or you can stay with me, in your rightful place."

"…"

"Think it over." Wily smiled. _This one is mine…_

"I will designate you Megaman."

"Yes father. My name is Megaman. What is my primary function?"

"Your primary function is to be my son."

Years passed. But nothing ever changed. The human race now did all the work, with machines ruling over them, and Wily ruling over the machines. The people, though weary and tired, were content to toil endlessly under the rule of the robots. They were almost happy to serve Wily. The world had become ever grayer, even when the sun shined. But people still spoke of Protoman, in whispers, in fear for their lives. Light knew that Megaman would eventually learn the truth. And so, one day, he called Megaman into his lab, to tell him of his brother…


	2. Chapter 2

Unrest in the House of Light:

"Megaman, come here." The machine, which was human in a startling number of ways now, walked over to where his father sat.

"Yes father?" Doctor light took a deep breath. How could he explain, that the stories he'd told of his brother, that he'd made seem like fairy tales, were true?

"You have heard me tell this story, many times…" Doctor Light noticed his own voice breaking up.

"Father, why are you sad?"

"There was another, who came before you. He was a hero, and your brother, and my son. He fought the evil, the evil won."

"Do you mean…Protoman?"

"You need to know…" Doctor Light took another deep breath. "And he fought bravely, and he died…bravely…" Doctor Light seemed on the verge of tears. "….And he was forsaken by the ones he wished to save. And when he died he died in _vain_." Doctor Light stood up. He glanced around the laboratory that was his home. On the walls were pictures, pictures he'd taken of him and his new son. His perfect son. And it still stung him to know that he'd failed Protoman. "You need to know, that you are not him."

"Father…?"

"The time is coming, and I must warn you, that though it's something that you may not understand, they cannot be saved by just one man…"

"But Father, you said that even now there is hope for man!" Doctor Light ignored the comment. He seemed to be gazing into the distance.

"And I am sorry, because I was wrong, and I take away the weight his shoulders had to bear…because…." He paused. "Because when he fell I was the only one that cared."

"Father…he fought for mankind! I want to as well! I want to save them from the evil Doctor Wily!" Doctor Light laughed a hollow laugh.

"You are not him," he said simply. "That story's finished, that story's ended, understand there's nothing more that we can do, and that I will not risk losing you. For if you leave now, you will be fighting for a people that refuse to comprehend. They have chosen their own end."

"But I want to fight!"

"You will STAY here, you will OBEY me, and I will keep grieving for the son I sent to death. You are all that I have left…"

"But Father….."

"You cannot win!" Megaman, in tears, runs out of the building. Doctor Light wonders if he was too hard on his son. But no, Megaman will make his own decisions, and if he makes the wrong one, he will see why it was wrong. As Megaman ran down the city streets, he saw the evils around him again. He saw the citizens toiling away, he saw the looks of fear they gave him. He couldn't understand why they weren't free.

The Will of One:

Megaman received a phone call from Doctor Light directly into his electronic ears. At first he refused to answer, but then, walking down the street, he decided to respond.

"Father, I have seen this city, a thousand times… Through the glass twenty stories high, I watched this city burn. If everything that you said is true there is no hope someday they will learn. But if I stay there with you, then I will never know the truth."

"You already know the truth." Megaman continued walking, to a place he'd seen once, when he was younger.

"Do not say, 'this is how it has to be!' As I walk through this city's streets, frightened people are watching me pass! There is an evil that holds them here yet they won't try breaking its grasp! And if I stay here with you…I will leave them to their doom…"

"This is how it has to be!"

"Do not say 'this is how it has to be!'" Megaman arrived at his destination. Memories swirled through his mind. His father's voice…

_You have heard me, tell this story, many times, before you sleep. No matter how dark, it seems, even now, there's hope for man._ Megaman stared ahead of him. The shield lay there, in this broken deserted alleyway. The helmet was there. The sunglasses and scarf were missing. This was Protoman's grave. This was the grave of his brother. This was where he would decide.

"Even here, it is not safe….." Megaman fell to his knees. "Even this grave has been defaced…" He examined the wall, which had red lettering on it. He focused his eyes. "Someone has written, on this stone…in some angry hand…'Hope Rides Alone.'" Megaman rose. He knew now what had to be done. He contacted his father, his creator, again.

"If you say, 'this is how it has to be,' you do no better than the fools of this burning city! But as I live, there is no evil that will stand. And I will finish, what was started, the fight of PROTOMAN!" Megaman disconnected the call. As Doctor Light sat weeping in his office, Megaman walked down the streets, blasting JOEs, destroying Met Hats, rallying the people. In an effort to calm the crowd, propaganda spewed from the speakers that filled the city.

"We keep you safe!" The speakers screeched. "We have control! We are your hope!" Another JOE down. Megaman walked down the streets with an army behind him, of passersby who happened to realize the gravity of the situation and grabbed what makeshift weapons they could. Some stripped the fallen JOEs of their guns, though few knew how to use them. This was the first army mankind had seen in a long time. And this army intended to free all mankind.

Vengeance:

"We are in control!" the speaker screamed, before Megaman blasted it. It was a gray day. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and the land was covered in gray. Today was the day that machines fought machine, men fought their oppressors, and humanity had its last chance for survival. Megaman stood on the outskirts of the walled city after knocking down the gate. Now he faced Wily's fortress. Having prepared for this event, Wily now had an army stationed at the base. And they were marching towards him.

"Everyone! Take cover!" Megaman rushed the army. He started to rip machines apart with his bare fists at a speed to fast for humans to see. He used their own weapons against them. All the while he was screaming at the top of his lungs some kind of war cry.

"Send me the best you've got! Send me your strongest machine! The fight my brother fought, here, now, will end with me!" Megaman blasted through the ranks, with supporting fire from the people behind him. One hundred fell, two hundred, three, and still the man machine kept going. He refused to stop until they were all destroyed, and there were still over 4000 to go. He began to realize that it would waste too much time killing them all, and instead decided to search for their leader. He leapt back from the JOEs, and started yelling at them. "All you wounded! Well, those of you who can, pick yourselves off the ground, hurry back, tell your leader YOU'LL NEED MORE MEN!" It worked, the enemies fell back and a single warrior appeared in front of them, in the shadow of the fortress. Megaman charged his blaster, and prepared to fire at the commander. But then he noticed something. His enemy's eyes shone the same color as his, different than the JOEs. Confused, he yelled across the battlefield.

"The shadow may cover your face, but your eyes shine just like mine! Step forward, step into the light, if you're ready and willing and prepared to fight! I've come for vengeance, for the first son of light, and _I'm_ ready and _I'm_ willing and _I'm_ prepared to fight!" Megaman was about to fire the shot, the blast that would end the battle, when the commander stepped forward. Here was a face that he knew. A face that he'd seen in his dreams. This wasn't the face of an enemy, but of a hero, of a brother. This was the face of Protoman. Megaman lowered his blaster and fell to his knees.


	3. Chapter 3

The Stand (Man or Machine)

Megaman's father spoke. He spoke with despair in his voice that was so deep, that it showed how far the once proud, once happy scientist had fallen.

"You're trying to understand, that though I told you your brother had been killed, here he stands, at the helm of the army you came here to destroy. You came here to avenge his death. You came here to save mankind. And you see now, you cannot do both." Doctor Light gazed at his sons. Megaman's eyes rose towards his brother's. Protoman held his gaze for a few seconds, and then turned his attention to the makeshift mob gathered behind his brother.

"So tell me, is there a man among you here? Is there one who will stand up, and lead the fight? Tell me, MAN!" He spat the last word, as if it were vulgar. "Is there not one in all your ranks, is there no one who values courage, over their own life?" When nobody spoke, he turned to his brother. "They looked to me once, but now they're turning to you. Do you see it now? Do you see the truth is, that they don't WANT to change this. They don't WANT a hero. They just want a MARTYR! A statue to raise! Well…" He turned away. "I've given everything I can. There ARE no heroes left in man! They all died in the last war! SO IT BEGINS!"

"My brother, what are you saying…" Protoman ignored the comment.

"No matter which one of us lives, the ground we're standing on will crack, then blow away. And you will fight, yes, but when you fight, you'll fight ALONE! And in the end, you'll see, there was no other way…" Protoman was pacing back and forth as the robot armies slowly advanced. But with a wave of his hand, they halted, three ranks in front of him. He rose three feet above the 5 foot tall JOEs, his height enhanced by Wily in the years since his "death." The black and red machine was yelling as loud as possible now, so that all mankind gathered there could hear. "We've given everything we can…There are no heroes left in man! They'll watch you DIE to save their lives! They will NOT stand here by your side! And…" Protoman stopped. His gaze fell on his father. Something about the man machine changed. Something barely perceptible. He turned to the nearest machine and with a mighty blow punched through it, then picked it up by the torso and used it as a weapon to beat another to death. He continued this carnage until there was no army left around him. A hundred fell, yet hundreds more remained. The armies, programmed not to attack their commander under any circumstances, fell back a safe distance, while Protoman continued his relentless attack. Then, when he had finished and the armies had all retreated back about a mile, he walked towards his brother and the awestruck humans behind him. He watched his father smile sadly and walk away, back to his tenement, back to the place he called home, back to his lab, back to _slavery_. Doctor Light did not witness what happened next, and that was a good thing. Protoman spoke again. "We have given everything we can…And there ARE no heroes left in man. So let them watch as we decide, the very fate, of all mankind!" Protoman stood, weapon at the ready, challenging his brother to a battle as if they were children playing a game. But this was no game. This was very different than the games children played. The lives of the entirety of the people of New York who had followed Megaman's march, hundreds of thousands of them, hung in the balance. Megaman, still confused, rose from his knees, but did not prepare his weapons. He raised his arm and aimed it for his brother, then dropped it to his side.

The Sons of Fate:

Megaman and Protoman started arguing with each other.

"I will not fight you!" Megaman yelled. Protoman laughed.

"You have no choice!"

"I'll stand beside you!" Protoman laughed again.

"_I_ stand _alone_."

"But you're still their hero!" Protoman gazed at the crowd before speaking.

"Then they are fools." Megaman was heartbroken.

"This can't be the only way!" Then, at the same time, each brother spoke.

"You will see, when this is through, mankind will FALL," said protoman, while megaman said

"They don't deserve this! Now more than ever, we are their hope!" Protoman scoffed at his brother, whom he deemed foolish.

"They would not stand!"

"They know no better!"

"THEY WOULD NOT FIGHT!"

"They are not ready"

"_THEY NEVER WILL!_" Megaman paused.

"Even now there is hope for man," he said. Protoman stopped dead in his tracks. He was stunned by the words he had heard.

"My…father's words?" Megaman nodded.

"Your father loved you."

"He still…believes?"

"His heart was broken." Protoman turned away.

"His only weakness!"

"His greatest strength!" Protoman turned back and charged his blaster.

"Now we shall see,"

"You are not evil,"

"If they will stand,"

"You are not broken,"

"Beside their hero!" Megaman paused.

"We both know they'll never fight!" He said. Protoman laughed triumphantly.

"You finally get it. There ARE no heroes. Mankind is doomed!" Turning to the masses, he waved the charged blaster and watched them all scurry about like so many cockroaches. He yelled at them. "You will never have another hero! You will never have another chance, you fools! You will FALL! Why? Because you never tried to stand for yourselves!" The humans, as one, began chanting.

"Destroy him! You can save us! Destroy him! KILL PROTOMAN! KILL PROTOMAN! KILL PROTOMAN!" The bloodthirsty mob shouted it ever louder, seeking the blood of their martyred hero. Megaman rushed forward at a speed too fast for the human eye to follow. He seemed to appear in front of his brother, and an explosion was seen. No man dared get closer to see who had won. No man heard Protoman's last words to his brother. Protoman lay dying in his brother's arms, mortally wounded. He knew that now. He knew there was nothing left he could do. He tried to speak, summoning the energy to do so after a brief period of struggle. His voice was broken, metallic, and monotone.

"If these people tell this story...to their children...as they

sleep...then maybe someday...they'll see a Hero...is just a man...who knows

he is free…"

Protoman was dead.

The crowd was pleased. The robot armies stepped forward from where they had retreated, slowly, uncertain. Did this mean Megaman was their new commander? Did this mean they would rise against their creator and save mankind? Was this what mankind needed? Was this the final blow to Wily's army?

No.

Megaman gently laid his brother to the ground, and then turned to the crowd that was singing his praises. He turned to the men, women, and children who were chanting his name. He turned to them and uttered one heart-wrenching phrase, that stopped them dead in their tracks and sent a chill down their spines. He said,

"_**YOU ARE THE DEAD,**_" and walked away. At first, they did not understand. Then, with a wave of Megaman's hand, the robot army had their orders. They knew what they had to do. They rose as one and marched on the men, women and children gathered there. They slaughtered them all. Those most eager to see bloodshed were the first to die. And those who stayed in their houses, and those who had left to their houses beforehand, like Doctor Light, were spared. But the rest were slaughtered wholesale. Megaman walked away. The sounds of children screaming did not move him. The sounds of women dying did not avert his gaze. What finally caused him to pause in his march to the fortress and his new home was the people, chanting as one:

"We are the dead."


End file.
